Apocalypse Please
by fazewave
Summary: Everything's back to normal now at the House of Night, though Jack might beg to differ with the arrival of an attractive new fledgling that makes him question his relationship with Damien...
1. Chapter 1

Hello. First off, I'd like to say that this is my first piece House of Night fan fiction, so don't be too harsh on me. I just finished Untamed last night, which gave my muse a kick start. I'd like to warn you though, that this story will entail slash, homosexual themes, or whatever you care to call it. Why? Because it's written from Jack's point of view, who doesn't get nearly enough attention. Since I've warned you now, you have the choice of turning back if gayness makes you uncomfortable. If you chose to keep on reading, good for you! Now sit back and enjoy the, um, show?

--

I leaned against Damien's warm body as Zoey switched on the movie. We were having a "Star Wars" marathon that night, _at least original ones_, as Eric had begged. I wasn't even sure that a professor was supposed to be mingling with the fledglings like he was, but no one else was complaining, so I wasn't going to either. Besides, I'd grown rather found of the guy, and not just because he was smoking hot and the most incredible actor in the world, because hello, I had a steady boyfriend!

At that moment, I couldn't help but to grin. It seemed like a century ago when we'd been forced to take down that nasty demon, well, Zoey, Damien, and the Twins, but I was there offering support! Anyway, it was nice, having only to think about trivial things now, like those gorgeous sunglasses Damien had gotten me for my birthday, or how I wished my hair was more the color of Aphrodite's, even though she'd probably had a personal hairstylist do it.

When I looked over to see Eric fixated intently upon the television screen, I struggled to fight back a giggle. Now I knew how to ace his class, just pop in "Star Wars" and I was set. I felt Damien's eyes on me, so I turned to gaze back at him, seeing that he was also smiling.

"What's so funny?" I asked, frowning slightly.

"Nothing. It's just, seeing you so amused makes me happy," he replied softly.

"Aw!" I cooed, full on grinning now. "That was so sweet I might just have to kiss you now."

"I wouldn't object to that," he chuckled, and I leaned up to give him a quick peck on the lips.

I heard gaging noises and didn't even have to look over to know it was the Twins, but they didn't mean it. Besides, it wasn't like I hadn't caught them kissing guys before...

Damien was about to shoot some smart-ass, albeit joking comment when Aphrodite burst into the room, aglow with what I knew had to be some juicy gossip. In case you're wondering, she'd been allowed to stay on at the academy, even though was human now, because it was obvious Nyx still had her hand upon her, even though she could be a mega bitch at times.

"Hey guys, guess what I just heard from Professor Lenobia?" she announced.

"What, they're finally going to send you home?" Shaunee muttered.

Obviously, there was still some kinks to work out between Aphrodite and the "Nerd Heard," as she liked to call us, but for the most part, we managed to be civil to each other. It was amazing how going through traumatic events can draw people together. On a lighter note, Professor Lenobia had taken over the school after Neferet had been taken into custody by the Council, and the gang, especially Zoey, couldn't have been any happier with the decision.

"Much as I wish that I could leave this hell hole sometimes, no," Aphrodite sneered. "Anyway, she said we're going to be getting a new student from the New York House of Night. Supposedly, having to constantly live amongst so many people has been getting to him since he was home schooled, so he requested to be sent somewhere a little less crowded. That's all I could get out of her, though, that, and he'll be needing someone to show him around when he gets here. She figured one of us could do it?"

"Ooh, we haven't had a new student since Stark!" I squealed, clasping my hands together. "I'll show him around!"

"Of course. That's why I already suggested you to Professor Lenobia, and she seemed alright with it." Aphrodite rolled her eyes, attempting to act like she didn't give a shit.

I wanted to give her a big hug, but I knew she'd only complain and shove me away, so I remained attached to Damien for the time being.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that," I beamed up at her.

She snorted and looked away. "Don't mention it."

And I didn't... Nice acts weren't something she felt compelled to do on a normal basis, even after all that had happened, and it had a lot to do with how she was raised. In other words, if Aphrodite's kindness decided to make a guest appearance, it was vital not to make a big deal out of it least she start boycotting humanity entirely again.

"You're supposed to go to her office first thing tomorrow, and you'll get the specifics then," Aphrodite informed me as she made her way over to Zoey's side and sank down gracefully beside her. "Ugh, 'Star Wars' again?" she groaned.

"Stop bitching, Aphrodite," Eric warned half-heartedly, not bothering to turn away from the movie.

"Well, excuse me _Professor_," she smirked, not sounding the least bit sorry.

I shook my head in amusement. Looked like it was just another day in the life...

--

The next morning, or night depending on how you looked at it, I raised a hand to knock on the door to Professor Lenobia's office, the prospect of unearthing more information about the new student causing me to bounce on the balls of my feet with nervous excitement.

"Welcome Jack," she greeted as I came to stand in front of her desk.

"Uh, hi Professor," I smiled warmly at her. "I heard there was going to be a new student, and he needed showing around?"

"You heard right," she smiled politely back at me. "His name is Freddie Starr, or so he goes by now, and he's your age. I'm sure Aphrodite filled you in on the rest of the details?"

"Yep. When is he supposed to get here?" I asked.

"Here in a few minutes, actually..."

If she was going to say anything else, it was interrupted by a knock on the door. I couldn't help but to think of how clichéd it was, but decided to keep that opinion to myself.

"Come in," Professor Lenobia called, and in stepped the most angelic-looking boy I'd ever seen, even more so than Damien, which I felt really guilty about admitting to myself, even though it was true.

He had reddish brown hair that was a little shaggy, but a stylish kind of shaggy, brilliant jade green eyes, very masculine facial features that matched rather well with what I determined was a toned body, despite all that his clothes were covering, and was tall, but not intimidatingly so like the Sons of Erebus.

"Uh, hi," the boy smiled shyly at us. "I'm Freddie Starr, and I was told to come here?"

"You were told right then," Professor Lenobia told him. "Welcome to our House of Night. Here's your list of classes, and room number," she handed him a piece of paper that had previously been sitting on her desk. "This is Jack Twist," she then gestured to me. "He's going to show you around, and if you have any questions just ask him. Anything he can't answer, one of the professors should be able to, so don't be afraid to come to one of us."

Freddie nodded, looking a little dazed, and I immediately felt sorry for the poor kid. Once he got familiar with the place, and got to know all of my amazing friends though, I knew he'd be feeling much better, call it a hunch.

"What about my bags?" he finally questioned.

"Don't worry about those, dear, the Sons of Erebus will take care of them. They've been informed of where your new dorm is," Professor Lenobia assured him. "Now, any more questions?"

"I don't think so..." Freddie trailed, studying his shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. He was so awkward that it was endearing, which again, I felt guilty about admitting.

"Alright then, good luck," Professor Lenobia gave a curt not.

"I think that's our cue to get a move on it," I said to Freddie. "Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends."

He seemed to realize then that I wasn't some major asshole that was only showing him around because I had to, which I gaged by his shoulders relaxing and the grin slowly beginning to make its way across his face.

"Sure," he agreed.

Suddenly, I was frozen in place. His smile was just that dazzling...

"Um, Jack?" Freddie waved a hand in front of my face, bringing me out of my stupor.

"Sorry, I was thinking about something I forgot to do," I lied. "Come on then..." I started to walk towards the door in hopes of hiding my flushed face from him.

If there was one thing I already knew about Freddie Starr, it was that I was attracted to him, and that no good could come from it, especially if he was straight. Now I was starting to understand exactly how Zoey had felt being attracted to multiple guys, and needless to say, I wasn't grateful for the revelation.


	2. Chapter 2

I would like to give a big thanks to all of you who read the first chapter and gave me feedback in one way or another. Seriously, every time I got an email from this site, it made me incredibly happy. So, just do me a big favor and keep reading. By default, I'll love you forever. Oh, and someone mentioned that I spelled Erik's name wrong. I apologize, because unfortunately, spell check doesn't know when a name is being spelled wrong, unless it's something like Bob. Well, enough rambling, on with the story!

--

"So, how long have you been going here?" Freddie asked, obviously attempting to break the silence that we'd lapsed into as soon as we'd walked out of Professor Lenobia's office.

"Oh, um, about a year now?" I answered, blinking as I was suddenly snapped out of my reverie.

"Wow, so you must be pretty familiar with the school then," Freddie said, looking genuinely impressed.

Again, he succeeded in making me feel guilty. It wasn't that big of a deal, having attended the Tulsa House of Night for a year. In fact I was pretty sure there were several people who'd been going there much longer than I had.

"Well, yeah, but then I lucked out by having some really great people show me the ropes," there, I'd managed to get the focus off me, and it wasn't a lie.

"I think I lucked out too," he said rather bluntly, looking a little too pleased for my comfort.

Alarms were going off in my head. I was getting myself in too deep here. I should have made some lame excuse about how I had to go feed my cat or something, then bolted and begged a friend that was much better equipped to play tour guide to take the reigns, but I remained faithfully by his side.

Instead of saying anything in reply, I settled for smiling weakly at him, then quickening my pace a bit. Unfortunately, he managed to catch up rather quickly, then match my pace, so I was stuck.

"Um, here we have the Dining Hall, as you'll hear the professors refer to it as. We eat all three meals in there, healthy of course since we're growing vamps," I couldn't help smirking a little bit. Bad Jack! Way to spur him on...

Freddie smirked back. "Yeah, that's how it was at my old school. I don't know why they're such food nazis when we're just going to go back to our dorms or whatever and eat what we want."

Was this guy using telepathy or something? He seemed to have at least a vague idea as to what was going on in my mind, at least. That, or we were very similar, which meant that pretty soon, I'd manage to dig myself so deep that I'd have enough room for a swimming pool. I'd always wanted one...

"You know what? How about I introduce you to my friends now?" I managed to flash Freddie one of my brilliant smiles.

"Sure," he was quick to agree.

I felt my body relax, because I wasn't a coward, right? I only wanted him to meet the people I spent pretty much every waking hour with, and there was absolutely no problem with that. That didn't keep me from feeling like I'd forfeited from an important competition as I led him towards the dorms...

--

"Hey amazing people!" I greeted the gang, or what was around of it, brightly.

"Hi Jack," Zoey smiled warmly as she sat her brown pop down on the table in front of her.

"That the new kid?" Erin jerked her head towards Freddie, her I-spy-a-hottie grin upon her face, which, unsurprisingly matched Shaunee's expression.

"Mhm," I gave a curt nod. "Guys, meet Freddie Starr."

"Ooh, mind if I guess what inspired your name?" Damien asked as he slipped an arm around my waist. Just having him near by was enough to make me completely forget about my problems with Freddie, even though he still stood near by.

"Go right ahead," Freddie's tone sounded polite, but his brown was furrowed a bit. I couldn't help but to smile a little smugly. Now he'd see that I had a boyfriend whom I was perfectly happy with, and would back off.

"Your first name was inspired by Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen and your last name..." Damien trailed off, thinking. "Do you spell it with one or two r's?"

"Uh, two," Freddie seemed to be softened up a little by Damien's knowledge. That's one of the reasons I admired him so much, Damien, that is.

"Ha, Ringo Starr!" Damien grinned. "Personally, I'm a bigger fan of John, but-"

"Hey, who's the stud muffin?" Aphrodite interrupted as she strode over to us.

"This is the new guy, Freddie," I explained, yet again. I didn't mind though, because it meant less time that I had to spend alone talking to him

Freddie winked at her, and a pang of... something went through me. Jealousy? No, it couldn't be. I was probably just surprised that someone as seemingly smart Freddie was willing to flirt with Aphrodite. Yeah, that sounded much better.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Damien gave my torso a gentle squeeze.

"Nothing, just thinking," I answered quickly, leaning in to plant a kiss on his cheek.

He eyed me warily for a moment, as if he didn't completely believe me, but he wasn't the only one with their eyes on me. By then Freddie had turned his attention away from Aphrodite and was looking at me again. The look in his eyes scary, almost possessive.

--

I was about to come out of my dorm the next morning when I heard voices outside, speaking in hushed voices. They sounded familiar too, Damien and.... Freddie? What could they possibly be discussing that required them to whisper.

"So you guys have been together for awhile?"

"Yeah, a little over a year now..."

"Wow, that's an awfully long time, and you guys haven't fought once?"

"Well, we've had the occasional tiff, but nothing too major."

"That sounds almost too good to be true."

"You know what, I don't care if you believe that Jack and I have a stable relationship or not. We're very loyal to each other, and happy together."

There was a soft chuckling. "If I were you, Damien, I'd watch by back. You never know when someone better may come along and sweep Jack off his feet. After all, you two aren't the only gay House of Night students."

Alright, that was enough. No one was going to be sweeping me off my feet as far as I was concerned. In fact, I was going to do everything in my power to let Freddie know that I belonged to Damien, and Damien only. If he didn't like it, well, it was in his best interest to get over it.

"Hi guys," I chirped as I stepped out into the hallway.

"Hey sweetheart," Damien pulled me into a hug when I got close enough.

A hug? That was going to be enough to scare Freddie away. Fighting a smirk, I slid my arms around Damien's neck, pulling him closer for what I intended upon turning into a full on make-out session. I admit, I'm not normally the type to pull stunts like that, but desperate measures were required, and I was willing to oblige for the sake of my boyfriend.

I could feel Freddie's eyes attempting to burn holes into the back of my head, but if anything, it only encouraged me further, unfortunately not for the right reason. I wanted him to envy Damien right then, to wish that he was the one I had my arms around and be kissing with every ounce of strength in my body, but not entirely because I wanted to save my relationship with. I was actually _enjoying _the thrill of the case.

As I pulled away from Damien, who looked dazed from the sudden show onslaught of affection, I wanted to scream out in frustration. Freddie Starr had managed to turn my whole world upside down in the matter of two days, and I liked it. It was so wrong, but deep down, I wanted to have two very attractive guys vying for my attention.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys. I'm sorry for taking so long to write this. Life gets in the way, you know? Anyway, I appreciate all the feedback. I don't think I've ever written something that's gotten as much attention as this story, so thanks a lot. I recently read "Hunted" by the way, and of course it was awesome. In case you haven't read it, however, I'll try not to spoil too much, which shouldn't be a problem since everything is from Jack's perspective and he's too caught up in his own drama to worry much about what the rest of the gang is up to. With that said, on with chapter three!

--

Lunch was... awkward. I don't think there's any other way to describe it. It wasn't Zoey, the Twins, or Aphrodite that made it so uncomfortable, because I'd grown accustomed to whatever they may say or do. No, it was, of course, Freddie and Damien that caused it.

Damien switched back and forth from gazing at me in awe and shooting daggers at Freddie, while Freddie simply looked unnervingly calm. Did he really think he had it in the bag? That I would just fall into his lap that easily? Alright, so maybe I wouldn't have minded being in his lap, but that's not the point! I wasn't just going to leave my boyfriend in the dust and ride off into the sunset with Freddie like he was my knight in shining armor or something.

"Um, guys? I've got some homework to finish, so I think I'm going to head on back to the dorm," I announced to the group, fed up with squirming around in my seat.

Everyone murmured goodbyes, except for Freddie, who also stood up.

"You know, I've got some stuff to take care of too, so I think I'll go with you," he explained, sounding for all the world like a polite boy with good intentions.

I fought the urge to glare at him, instead issuing a curt nod before exiting the dining hall at pace I hadn't traveled at in quite awhile. The only problem? He was fast, faster than me, so he had absolutely no problem keeping up.

Once we were what I guessed was far enough away for him, he pinned me to the cold stone wall, toned body flush against mine, and leaned in to kiss me searingly.

My first reaction was to return the kiss, but my mind was quick to catch up with my body, so it wasn't long before I was pushing at his chest to get him off. It was moments like that when I wished I did some kind of physical activity, because he was reluctant to budge.

"Are you crazy?" I sputtered when he finally pulled back. "My boyfriend, that I'm perfectly happy with by the way, is right down the hall."

"Oh? Who was the one that was all over said boyfriend earlier, right in front of me?" Freddie raised an eyebrow. "If that's not an open invitation, I don't know what is."

"It wasn't an open invitation, y-you... pompous ass, it was a warning!" I shouted, shocking myself with my use of bad language. I'd been raised a Mormon, and while that had all kind of gone out the door the moment I told my parents I was gay, some of the values still lingered.

"I'm not stupid, Jack," Freddie smirked, shaking his head. "Yeah, you were reminding me that you and Damien are dating, but you wouldn't have felt the need to do so in such a fashion if you weren't at least a little bit tempted by me."

"I'm not tempted by you at all," I growled.

"You just kissed me back," he pointed out.

"I..." I faltered. He had me there. I could feel my eyes filling up with hot tears. How could I have let this happen? I was supposed to be in love with Damien, get married to him someday, and adopt a million kids like Brad and Angelina, not sneak around with a sexy older fledgling!

"I rest my case," Freddie folded his arms across his chest, adorned in a very flattering black v-neck shirt that would've looked better off. No, wait, what was I thinking?

The tears that had been threatening to spill finally started to trickle down my face, which was all I needed to kick me into gear. I spun on my heels and took off at full speed in the direction of my bedroom. If Freddie had any sense at all, he'd leave me to my own devices for awhile.

--

"Jack, what's wrong? You've been staring off into space a lot..." Damien asked as we sat together doing our homework later that night.

"It's nothing Damien, don't worry about it," I lied, forcing a wan smile.

"If you say so..." he drawled, either buying the lie or not wanting to push the matter any further when he could tell I wasn't going to talk. I had a feeling it was the latter, which made me feel even guiltier than before.

In my seventeen years of life, I would have never envisioned myself landed in such a position, but there I was, about to kill over from the combination of guilt and confusion swirling through my mind right then. Of course Damien wouldn't understand, he didn't have another guy besides the one he was dating attempting to get in his pants. In fact, we uh, kind of lost our virginity to each other, recently even.

--

Two days later, Freddie hadn't attempted to jump me again, but the looks he shot me in passing told me he hadn't given up yet, only that he was bidding his time. As a result, it felt as though I was weighed down by a ton of bricks. I had to talk to someone, and I knew the perfect person.

"Zoey, I need your opinion, if you wouldn't mind?" I requested as we were on our way to Literature class.

She gave me a quizzical look. "What is it, Jack? I can tell you've had something on your mind lately."

"I know this is kind of a sore spot with you and all, but remember when you were trying to balance more than one guy?" I asked hesitantly.

Zoey nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. Clearly she was trying to figure out why I'd be inquiring into such a matter when it hadn't been an issue for so long. It was perfectly understandable, I would've been slightly baffled too.

"How did you know which one was the right guy for you?" I pressed further.

"Well, obviously it wasn't easy," she cocked her head slightly. "In the end, I just went with what my heart told me. Your brain alone doesn't always know what's best for you."

I nodded, but while the advice was certainly good, it didn't really help much. It was too soon to tell much of anything, so I'd just have to wait and see how things played out.

--

That afternoon, just after classes had finished for the day, I headed up to my room to put my books away. When I got to the correct door, I paused, because upon it was a sticky note.

I pulled down the electric blue piece of paper to study it closer. In tiny Sharpie scrawl, someone had requested that I meet them by the stables in four hours. Although slightly wary, I couldn't help the jolt of excitement that spread through me. No one had ever done something like this for me.

--

As I stepped out onto the stable grounds, I could see that the sky was already starting to get lighter, but not noticeably so, unless one was paying close attention. I was so distracted that I didn't hear the person that had came up behind me until they said something.

"Jack?"

I spun around, immediately recognizing the voice.

"Gosh Freddie, you scared me!" I gasped, heart rate going too fast for me to be angry.

"Sorry," he apologized, and surprisingly enough, it sounded genuine.

I decided to get straight to the point. "So, um, why did you want me to meet you here? I assume it was you that left the note?"

"Yeah, it was me," Freddie smiled grimly. "I felt bad about what I did the other day. It was wrong of me to just throw myself at you like that."

"Is this your way of apologizing?" I couldn't help but to grin a little bit, because I got the impression Freddie normally wasn't one for admitting his mistakes in the first place, let alone attempting to make amends.

"Yeah, I guess you could say it is?" he shrugged. "I really do like you, but I went about it the wrong way."

"Well, I think I can find it my heart to forgive you," I rolled my eyes playfully at him. "You're making things really hard on me though. You're supposed to be the incredibly hot jerk while Damien's the average, but sweet guy that wins out in the end."

Freddie smirked. "Here's a piece of advice for you, things don't always turn out the same way as movies and books. This is reality you're living in, and it's pretty damn unpredictable if I do say so myself, so it's probably best you realize that."

I chewed on my bottom lip, considering what he'd said. Yeah, Damien was a great boyfriend, and we got along great, but did that mean we had to end up together and live happily ever after, much as I wanted us to... or thought I did.

"Jack?"

"Hm?" I was jerked out of my reverie.

"Everyone deserves a second chance, right?" Freddie's voice was soft, though it wasn't the low volume that had me listening carefully to each word, but the intensity.

"Sure, if they've done something redeeming to prove they can be trusted," I answered automatically. I hadn't been at the House of Night for all that long, but that much I'd learned.

"Well then, may I kiss you?"

We had somehow came close enough that our foreheads were practically touching, and I could feel his warm breath brushing across my face. My head screamed absolutely not, while my heart wanted me to accept so badly that it ached.

Without even thinking, I leaned in, and we were kissing again, only this time something felt different. His lips were softer, and I felt lightheaded enough to faint right there in his arms. It was so cliché, but amazing. Deep down, guilt was eating away at me, because while kissing Damien was nice, it didn't feel that way with him.

I pulled away again, my breath slightly shallow. Something was very wrong, indeed. A boy who had only walked into my life such a short time ago was able to trump the one I'd been dating for over a year. I couldn't help thinking that it was completely my fault that I now had two amazing guys to choose between.


End file.
